Down day!

The pressure of taking care of Mom after we get her home is starting to weigh me down. We will have to have some help. People are already clamoring for the jobs, but we can't afford a lot of help. If we do that, it would cost as much as the nursing home. I guess we will just play it by ear and see how much she can help herself...which, I am afraid, is very little. Tomorrow, someone is coming to fit her for the ortho piece for her right foot. Maybe that will help. Her mind is not right. She does lots of strange things like wipe her face with her bread and trying to eat her tea with a fork....just crazy stuff! I'm just tired!

Busy day!

It  was unintentionally busy! I heard noises in my backyard before 8 A.M. which woke me and then the doorbell rang. Turns out that the dude that I had negotiated with to grind the two stumps where my brother had cut down my trees was there to do his job! Holy crap! It's early for me! He was done in 15 minutes, got his money and left to do the big stuff he had to do today. Since I was awake, I went on to Mom's house and did some work there which included mowing acres of grass. I had just enough time to shower and then go to the rehab center to be with her. We sat outside for a while, which she enjoys. Tomorrow the men are coming to build the ramp at her house.

It's another step!

I went to the funeral of a friend today and after the celebration of life, I went by to visit my mom and took her the order of service. On the cover of the brochure was this picture of the deceased. Mom looked at it and said very clearly, "She is so pretty". Sometimes she says things that are so clear!

Another step!

I try to bring Mom a little snack, usually fresh fruit, when my shift starts at around 4 P.M. (My brother goes every day at lunch time to help her with her lunch). On Saturday, I took her fresh strawberries and we went outside to sit on the porch. I watched her struggle with holding the container with her left hand, but she didn't want me to hold it for her. Since she was holding it with her left hand, she managed to pick up a few strawberries with her right hand and get them to her mouth. She had to bend her head way over to reach her hand, but she did it. When I asked her if she knew what she had just done, she was surprised that she had done it with her right hand.

Yesterday, I took her to Sunday services at her church for the first time since her stroke in October. We had been one other time to a Sunday night event, but never to the Sunday morning service. She was so excited that she had rolled her chair to the door of her room and was looking in the hall waiting for me.

Great day!

Mom had a great day yesterday...probably her best yet! When I got there after her nap, I asked her how her therapy went and she just smiled and started trying to tell me how happy she was that it had gone so well. I thought I understood her to say she walked 100 feet, but I was skeptical and went to talk to the therapists. They concurred that she did indeed walk all the way back to her room after therapy. She had some new fresh flowers that someone had brought her. I managed to understand her to say that Diane had brought them. My brother said that Diane did indeed bring those flowers. I was thrilled. I asked her if she thought we were doing the right thing by paying out of pocket to keep her there for additional therapy and she said, "Oh, yes!"

I'm tired!

My brother and I worked hard on our dad's row of berries today. We had to cut out all the dead wood and clean out all the grass and weeds from below them. Wow! What a job! He had to leave and do his real job, but I worked for about 3 hours until I was exhausted. This was our dad's last project before he died and he was very proud of his row of berries. Last summer they were very prolific, but then Mom had her stroke and we just didn't do the stuff that needed to be done. We are trying to catch up. My brother went on and took his regular noon shift with Mom, but I tried to get the row finished. Didn't quite finish before I gave completely out.

Holy CRAP!

I was chiding myself for leaving this mess in the green pitcher at my yard work station. As I reached to clean it out, a bird flew out. Scared me bad! There are eggs in the nest, so now I have to leave it. Click on the picture to enlarge it and see the bird! CRAP...please disregard the typo on resourceful!!! This English teacher hates that!!!

Another outing!

Yesterday I took Mom out again to the catfish place. My brother met us there with her wheelchair from home. She enjoyed getting out and we were happy to do it for her and us!

Today when I got back after her nap, she was dozing in the chair. She kept on doing this, so I asked the nurse what her blood sugar was at 4:00. It was 112. They should have given her a snack right then, but they didn't. I took fresh strawberries to her, but they don't raise blood sugar. I had them check it again and it was 77...that's why she couldn't stay awake. They plied her with orange juice and she got ok.

Another good day!

The last couple of days, I have seen progress. We have a sheet of sentences to complete from the speech therapist and tonight Mom did better than she ever has with those. Today when I got there at noon, I watched in the therapy room through the door while the OT worked with her using her right hand. She was doing really well. I can't let her see me because she gets unfocused really easily. The PT said she is walking better and farther. They have ordered an orthopedic gizmo for her right foot that will hold her foot up and not allow it to drag her toes. Today I am feeling better about everything. Of course, it helps that I have spent the last two days at her house working in the yard and mowing. My brother got back this evening and he called a little while ago and said our potatoes are coming up. I have been so busy at her house that I didn't look at the garden...well, except for my tomatoes! I water them every day. Glad to have him back. He will start the tiller for me tomorrow so I can start tilling the garden. He already has it disked up, but now it must be tilled before the planting can begin. And yes, God, some rain would be good..ok!

Good day.

Although Mom doesn't seem to be walking any better or even as well as she did a month ago, I have to assume she is making progress. I just can't see it. I didn't think she was having any therapy today, so I went at about 10 this morning to keep her from getting bored. She was in therapy...yay! When she finished I loaded her in my car and took her for a drive. We went to my house so she could see my daffodils in my yard. Then we went to her house so I could check on my tomatoes that I planted yesterday and water them. We even drove down through the pasture to the pond. I then went in her house and got some different clothes for her. I know she is tired of wearing the same old things over and over. Then we went to Sonic for a corn dog which she can eat easily with her left hand. When we got back, she lay down for a rest and I came home for a while. I'll be going back soon to spend the evening with her. As soon as my brother gets back, we have to get a ramp built for her house and get busy trying to get our garden started.

Who cares?

Haven't done any updates lately because I just don't seem to see progress. Some days are better than others and today was a bit frustrating. My brother is gone again so I have all the Mom duties which means I must be with her at noon and at dinner to help her with her meals. Leaves no time for me when I need to be getting my yard in shape and starting our garden. Today, my vacuum cleaner of about one year broke the wheels off the bottom, so I had to find a place to get it repaired..take it to Shreveport and get back between her lunch and about 4:30 when I go back to be with her. I guess I am just feeling the pressure a little more than usual. Today is the day I usually eat with my buds and solve all the world's problems, but, of course, that didn't happen today. I needed that outlet today! Ok..I'll stop whining. I'm just tired!

Exactly!

Yet another reason these bulbs suck!

It's a big Louisiana deal!

Finally!

After a complete melt down for the last two days, Mom had an excellent day today. The last two days she just cried, didn't want to go get her hair done and couldn't do much in therapy. We have no idea what was wrong because she couldn't tell us. I spent all day with her yesterday. We sat outside and waited for an old high school friend of mine to come see her. Of course, I stay with her every night until she goes to bed. Today was a complete turn around. No crying and she was doing well. The aide told me tonight that Mom did the best she had ever done getting in the bed. The aide didn't have to help her much, but hold her hands on her back to make sure she didn't fall. She was even able to turn herself and get in the bed without much help and without hurting her arm or leg. When I told her tonight that the aide had really bragged on how well she did, Mom just beamed. She wants to get better so badly.

More progress!

We took Mom out to eat tonight at our favorite catfish place. When we got to the place, I forgot to unhook her seat belt while my brother was getting the wheelchair from his car. She very clearly told me, "I can't get out". When the wait staff asked her if she wanted fish or shrimp, she very clearly said, "I think I want the shrimp"! We talked with someone there whose mother had a really bad stroke and after a year had started talking and doing all the same things again. Those kinds of stories give us hope.


 Last night someone asked if she had supplemental insurance. Well, of course, she does and we completely forgot  about it. We will be checking on Monday to see if it will help pay since she is in a Skilled Nursing Facility. Something new to learn every day. Our visit with the lawyer on Friday was helpful as well.

Good News!

The administrator told us we could leave her in the same room until such time as they needed it and after that he would find a private room on another hall for her. It will cost us $4200 a month, so we told her she had to be ready to run a race within a month or so. The beautiful daffodils are courtesy of her niece!

 Our next thing to tackle is all her assets. If she had another stroke tomorrow and required a nursing home, it would take all her money and then they said any land would have to be sold and used as payment until it ran out. I already have an appointment with our attorney on Friday. We have been told that it had to be out of her name for 5 years, but we are trying to figure a way to get around that. Right now, it's all in her name except property that Dad inherited. We told her today that we were going to try to get her name off everything except the house and the car. She is allowed to own a house and a car and that is it before Medicaid would kick in. She just said, "OK". She would hate more than anything to use up all the funds and lose the land. That would kill her.

Working on it!

My brother and I met with the CEO of the Meadowview facility where Mom is today. We told him that we are willing to private pay for a couple of extra months as long as she can continue to get all three rehab disciplines and a private room. He told us the rate was $130 per day plus $300 extra a month for the private room. That's different from what we were told yesterday. He is checking to see what he has available and will talk with again tomorrow. We have already checked and we know there are 5 empty rooms in the rehab hall. This facility is having a Grand Re-Opening event tomorrow at 5P.M. Since the CEO is the King of my krewe this year, he has asked krewe members to be there with their flashy, gaudy Mardi Gras jackets on. I told him I would be there with mine on!!! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!!

Today is National Margarita Day!

Mixed emotions!

Mom had a great birthday with balloons and cake, but we had our meeting that kind of killed the spirit for me. They all said she was doing wonderfully and all the therapists want to keep seeing her, but Medicare is done after 100 days. Part B will pay for more therapy, but we will have to pay for room and board and medicines. When you work hard all your life, save your money, have a house and land and investments, then you get punished when it comes to long term care.  The therapists( and we) think that she could benefit from a few more months of 5 day a week therapy. Our cost would be about $5000 per month and they said semi-private room. My brother and I both bristled at that and said absolutely not. We are going to try to see the CEO tomorrow and negotiate a deal. The night nurse told us deals could be made. We don't mind paying, but not for a semi-private room. Even if Mom passed all her assets to us now, that still wouldn't help because they have to be out of her hands for 5 years. I believe they will make every effort to get her a private room because they want our business. If not, then I guess I will live with her and learn how to do things for her....and get some sitters for home. It wouldn't cost anymore than the nursing home, but Home Health only allows for therapy a couple of times a week. My back hurts, my brain hurts and I'm tired!

Big day tomorrow!

Tomorrow is Mom's 86th birthday and my brother and I have a meeting with all the therapists and the social worker to discuss what's next after her 100 days of therapy are up on March 5th.

Today after they put her down for her nap, I was telling her that my brother would not be back this afternoon because he had to go made his cake for the men's cake auction at his church. She looked at me and said so that I knew exactly what she said, "I always enjoyed going to that"......then she started to cry. Oh, no. I can't take that, so I told her that I would take her if she wanted to go. She did! I went back to get her this evening and my brother met us at the church. She got to attend the evening worship and see all her church friends and go to the cake sale. Those people were so very happy to see her and I was so very happy that I took her. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of some of the cakes , but it was a great fund raiser. .